An updated utility from Microsoft promises to boost your PC. We tested the capabilities of the new PC Manager on ourselves.
What is Microsoft PC Manager?
Microsoft PC Manager is an all-in-one optimization and maintenance tool designed to enhance the performance and security of your Windows PC. Developed by Microsoft, this free software helps users manage and optimize their computer’s health with ease. From cleaning up unnecessary files and boosting system speed to safeguarding your data with advanced security features, Microsoft PC Manager is the perfect solution for those looking to streamline their PC experience. With its simple, user-friendly interface, anyone, regardless of technical knowledge, can quickly clean, optimize, and protect their device. Whether you’re looking to speed up your PC or ensure it’s secure from malware and other threats, Microsoft PC Manager is the go-to tool for keeping your system in top shape.
Microsoft has powerfully updated its free PC Manager utility for Windows 11 and 10 operating systems. The boost program is designed to constantly monitor the state of the device to optimize the system.
Main features of the PC Manager utility from Microsoft
Frees up RAM, improving system responsiveness for tasks and games. • A new algorithm for optimizing disks frees up disk space by deleting only unnecessary files. • The utility can now be added to Windows 11 widgets for quick access.
We installed PC Manager on our PC and are telling you about its capabilities.
Getting started with the utility
After installation, we are greeted by the main program screen.
This is also a very informative link .
Before starting, you will be asked to set the tool to autoload with the system and restore the Taskbar settings to default.
The main screen of the application shows a brief summary of RAM, running processes, system boot speed and quick access to the “boost” feature.
If everything is basically standard with RAM – unnecessary data, according to Windows, is unloaded, then with freeing up space on disks everything is a little different. After scanning the system disk, the utility will offer to clean up unused “garbage”.
You can also set the necessary parameters in the settings. The main Smart boost is responsible for automatic memory cleaning when 1 GB of temporary files accumulate. Also available are the above-mentioned item for launching the utility together with the system, reminders of available updates, setting up pop-up windows and selecting the application language.
Cleaning up trash
What kind of junk did PC Manager find in our case? Basically, everything is standard – lots and lots of browser cache and, for example, remnants of Nvidia video driver installers.
Is it worth cleaning everything, as suggested by PC Manager? Probably not. Choose selectively, what you are absolutely sure of. In our case, we limited ourselves to cleaning the cache of the unused Edge browser and the remains of video driver installation packages. For now.
System security
The utility offers convenient access to your system’s security. Here you can immediately enable antivirus scanning, check for updates, configure notifications, the Taskbar, and restore default applications (for example, what to open media files with), as well as select the default browser.
With the necessary features and a good interface, this application seems like a more convenient option than having to manually go into the system settings and look for, for example, the latest updates for Windows.
Setting up autoload
After prolonged use, the system may also accumulate excesses that are loaded together with the system, thereby slowing down its startup speed. In the Startup apps window, you will see everything that comes with the system boot. The first in the list will be programs that can be disabled without risk, while the second ones are marked as “recommended to leave”.
Of course, here you need to carefully choose between programs, paying attention to the recommendation not to touch unnecessary things.
Process manager
Process management is a kind of task manager, thanks to which you can cut off particularly gluttonous ones in a couple of clicks.
Toolbox
Toolbox contains a set of various system widgets. When you enable its display on the desktop, you will have quick access to screenshot widgets, a folder with screenshots, audio recording, a notepad, a calculator, and other functions. In any case, they can be accessed from the application itself.
How many resources does PC Manager consume?
The utility helps free up memory, and it itself takes up little space – about 183 MB. Whether this is a lot or a little depends on the installed RAM. If you are really pressed, you can simply turn off the program after performing the necessary manipulations. But in this case, there will be no automatic cleaning of RAM upon reaching the specified limit.
Do I need PC Manager from Microsoft?
This is a pretty good program that will only help in small ways. Because no utility will significantly increase the speed of your computer. 8 GB of RAM will not feel like 16 GB, and 16 – like 32. And a conventional GeForce GTX 1660 video card will not turn into an RTX 4060.
Did the “boost” change anything on our 32GB PC? Not much, just a few gigabytes freed up on the system SSD. Is that a good thing? Definitely.
PC Manager itself has a user-friendly interface and scans well for unnecessary junk. This is not something revolutionary or unusual – CCleaner users will immediately understand what is what. And what’s more, Windows 11 has built-in tools that automatically clear the caches of installed updates and drivers over time.
The program can be used from time to time to check for system updates and preventative maintenance by clearing the cache. Or just see if anything new has appeared in the startup and edit the settings. The utility turned out to be outwardly simple and functional, collected many features in one place. It may well be that all the functionality of the utility will migrate to Windows 12 by default in the future.
You can download and try the utility yourself from the official Microsoft website.